Testing fixture



Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES I 1,565,578 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MODONOUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AB SIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COH-PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0! NEW YORK.

TESTING FIXTURE.

Application filed A ril it, 1922. Serial no. 551,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MCDONOUGH,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State 6 of Ilhnois, have invented certam new and usefulImprovements in Testing Fixtures,

of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to testing fixtures, 1 and more particularly to afixture for checking electrical connections between terminals in onebank assembly and the corresponding multiple terminals in another bankassembly in frames of mechanical telephone switching systems.-

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and compact fixtureby which the connections between the terminals may be expeditiously andaccurately checked for errors.

In the preferred form of this invention a support is provided which isadapted to be positioned over a plurality of termmals.

Guided upon the support in alinement with the terminals is a circuitclosing member provided with a signal lamp connected to one side of abattery. The other side of the battery is connected with thecorresponding terminal in the other bank, and if 3 the connectionbetween the corresponding terminals is correct it will be indicated bythe lamp lighting.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a partial front elevation of a testing fixture embodying thefeatures of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross section line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the testing fixture positioned upon abank to check the connections between the terminals thereof and thecorresponding terminals in an adjacent bank.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a guide and supporting plate preferablymade from insulating material such as fiber. In the embodiment of theinvention as illustrated the guide and supporting plate 10 is adapted tobe mounted on the vertical face of-a terminal bank assembly 11 of amechanical telephone switching machine. In the particular type ofterminal bank illustrated, the terminals 12 are staggered in ahorizontal taken upon the bridge plate 18 direction across the bank andare in alinement with each other in a vertical direction. The supportingplate 10 comprises three slotted strips 13, 13 suitably secured togetherby rivets 14. In the assembly of the slotted strips 13 to form the guideand supporting plate 10 the slots in the strips are staggered in ahorizontal direction to conform with the staggered terminals 12. Thesupport 10 is suspended directly upon the terminals 12 shown in dottedoutline in Fig. 1 in a vertical direction and mounted thereon andadapted to be moved vertically is a signal carrying member 17 comprisinga with turned-over ends 19 the member 17 upon the support 10 1n anposition to which it is moved thereon. arried upon the plate 18 andinsulated therefrom by a strip 20 are three contact members 21, 21. Themembers 21 each comprises a pair of spring fingers 24 sultably shapedand positioned upon the plate 18 to engage one of the terminals 12 uponopposite sides when the member 17 is moved upon the support 10. Securedto the plate 18 with the contact members 21 and the strip 20 by screws26, 26 is a fiber block 27 provided with three openings 28, 28 formounting three signal lamps indibated at 31, 31.

The lamp terminals contact on one side adapted to hold members 21, 21and on the other side with terminal plates 33, 33 secured to the'fiberblock 27 by screws 28,28.

In mechanical telephone switching systems the line terminals arearranged upon the bank in sets, each set comprising three terminals, thetip, sleeve and ring, and each in turn is permanently wired to acorresponding tip, sleeve or ring terminal in an adjacent bank. In asystem built up of three or more banks the terminals of the second bankwill be wired to the corresponding terminals in the third bank and thethird bank to the fourth and so on. The

terminals are arranged so compactly upon the bank that mistakes arelikely to occur in making connections between corresponding terminals inthe two banks. 7

In using the testing fixture it is suspended vertically as describedbefore at the top of with extending portions 32, 32 of the contact.

the bank 11 and the signal carrying member 17 is moved by an operatorupon the support 10 to bring the contact members 21, 21 into engagementwith the top set of terminals 12. The terminal plates 33, 33 of thefixture are each wired to one side of a battery 36 (see Fig. 4). Theother side of the battery 36 is connected with a hand contact member1ndicated at 37 in Fig. 4. The hand contact member 37 is brought intoengagement with the corresponding set of terminals 12 in the adjacentbank by a second operator, first the contact members 21, 21 intoengagement with the next set of terminals, which are tested in the samemanner as the first set, the other operator merely contacting the member37 with the second set of terminals in the adjacent bank. The terminalsets are suitably numbered beginning at the top of' the bank to indicateto the operators what set of terminals they are working on; also theslotted support 10 is provided with indicating marks 39 at certainintervals and at points in line with the slots therein so that thesignal carrying member 17 ma y be readily and accurately positioned atthe correct set of terminals.

The support 10 may be of any suitable length, either the length of thebank so as to span a complete vertical row of terminals, or it may be ofsuch a length as to span only a portion of the terminals and aftertesting them, may be moved down to test the balance.

What is claimed is:

1. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising means for contacting in succession with theterminals at one end of the connections and along a fixed path, meansheld by the terminals adapted to guide said contacting means alongafixed path, electric signal means associated with said contacting means,and means for connecting said signal means with the opposite terminalsin successlon as said contacting means is moved whereby said signalmeans will be operated when the connections between the terminals arecorrect.

2.- A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a self contained device associable with andremovable from as a unit the terminals at one end of the connections, amember movable thereon to successively engage the terminals, andsignalling means, said signalling means associated with said lastmentioned member and the opposite terminals and-adapted to indicate whenthe connec tions between the terminals are correct.

3. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a member adapted to be detachably. held by theterminals at one end of the connections, a contact member movablethereon to successively engage the terminals, and means asso- -ciatedwith said contact member and the opposite terminals adapted to indicatewhen the connections between the terminals are correct.

4. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising an apertured member adapted to be mounted upon andto receive the terminals at one end of the connections, a contact membermovably secured thereto and adapted to engage the terminals within theapertures in said member in succession as it is moved thereon, and meansassociated with said contact member andthe opposite terminals adapted toindicate when the connections between the terminals are correct.

5. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a slotted plate adapted to receive a row ofterminals at one end of the connections, a contact carriage movablysecured to said slotted plate and adapted to engage the terminalspassing through the slots in said plate in succession as it is movedthereon, electric signal means associated with said contact carriage,and means for connecting said signal means with the opposite terminalsin succession as said contact carriage is moved whereby said signalmeans will be operated when the connections between the terminals arecorrect.

6. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a supporting or guiding portion adapted to beassociated with a plurality of terminals at one end of the connections,a carriage adapted to be moved upon said guiding portion,

contacts carried on said carriage adapted to engage the terminalsassociated with said carriage in succession as said carriage is moved,electric signal means mounted upon said carriage and in electricalcontact with the contacts thereon, and means for connecting said signalmeans with the opposite terminals in succession as said carriage ismoved whereby said signal means will be operated when the connectionsbetween the terminals are correct.

7. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a slotted support or guide adapted to receive aplurality of terminals at one end of the connections, a carriage adaptedto be moved upon said guide, spring contacts carried on said carriageadapted to contact with the terminals passing through the slots in saidmeans said signal means will be operated when the connections betweenthe terminals are correct.

8. A testing fixture for testing electrical connections betweenterminals, comprising a slotted support or guide adapted to receive arow of terminals at one end of the connections, a carriage comprising abridge plate insulatively secured to said bridge plate and adapted tocontact with the terminals passing through the slots in said guide insuccession as said brid e is moved, means for mounting signal amps uponsaid bridge plate, electrical connections between said spring contactsand the si a1 lamps, and means for connecting said signal lamps with theopposite terminals in succession as said carriage is movedwhereby saidsignal lamps will be lighted when the connections between the terminalsare correct.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th day of April,A. D., 1922.

JOHN MODONOUGH.

